PONTIAC PONTIAC 1997 Owner's Manual

If my vehicle has air bags, why should I have to
wear safety belts?
A: Air bags are in many vehicles today and will be in
most of them in the future. But they are
supplemental systems only;
so they work with
safety belts -- not instead of them. Every air bag
system ever offered for sale has required the use
of
safety belts. Even if you’re in a vehicle that has air
bags, you still have to buckle up to get the most
protection. That’s true not only in frontal collisions,
but especially in side and other collisions.
If I’m a good driver, and I never drive far from
home, why should
I wear safety belts?
A: You may be an excellent driver, but if you’re in an
accident
-- even one that isn’t your fault -- you and
your passengers can
be hurt. Being a good driver
doesn’t protect you from things beyond your
control, such as bad drivers.
Most accidents occur within
25 miles (40 km) of
home. And the greatest number of serious injuries
and deaths occur at speeds of less than
40 mph
(65 km/h).
Safety belts are for everyone.
1-13
ProCarManuals.com

How to Wear Safety Belts Properly
Adults
This part is only for people of adult size.
Be aware that there
are special things to know about
safety belts and children. And there are different rules
for smaller children and babies. If a child will be
riding in your Pontiae, see the part of this manual
called “Children.” Follow those rules
for
everyone’s protection.
First, you’ll want to know which restraint systems your
vehicle has.
We’ll start with the driver position.
Driver Position
This part describes the driver’s restraint system.
Lap-Shoulder Belt
The driver has a lap-shoulder belt. Here’s how to wear
it properly.
I. Close and lock the door.
2. Adjust the seat (to see how, see “Seats” in the Index)
so you can sit up straight.
3. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Don’t let it get twisted.
The shoulder belt may
lock if you pull the belt across
you very quickly. If this happens, let the belt
go back
slightly
to unlock it. Then pull the belt across you
more slowly.
1-14
ProCarManuals.com

4. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.
If
the belt isn’t long enough, see “Safety Belt
Extender” at the end
of this section.
Make sure the release button on the buckle is
positioned
so you would be able to unbuckle the
safety belt quickly if you ever had to.
-4
5. To make the lap part tight, pull down on the buckle
end
of the belt as you pull up on the shoulder belt. The
lap part
of the belt should be worn low and snug on
the hips, just touching the thighs. In a crash, this applies
force to the strong pelvic bones. And you’d be less likely
to slide under
the lap belt. If you slid under it, the belt
would apply force at your abdomen. This could cause
serious
or even fatal injuries. The shoulder belt should go
over the shoulder and across the chest. These parts of the
body are best able to take belt restraining
foxes.
The safety belt locks if there’s a sudden stop or crash, or
if you pull the belt very quickly out of the retractor.
1-15
ProCarManuals.com

Shoulder Belt Height Adjuster (4-DOOr Models)
Before you begin to drive, move the shoulder belt
adjuster
to the height that is right for you.
To move it down, squeeze the release lever and move
the height adjuster to the desired position. You can move
the adjuster up just by pushing
up on the shoulder belt
guide. After you move the adjuster to where you want it,
try to move it down without squeezing the release lever
to
make sure it has locked into position.
Adjust the height
so that the shoulder portion of the
belt is centered
on your shoulder, The belt should be
away from your face and neck, but not falling
off
your shoulder.
1-16
ProCarManuals.com

&: What’s wrong with this?
A: The shoulder belt is too loose. It won’t give nearly
as much protection this way.
You can be seriously hurt if your shoulder belt is
too loose.
In a crash, you would move forward
too much, which could increase injury. The
shoulder belt should fit against your body.
1-17
ProCarManuals.com

&: What’s wrong with this?
L I I I I I I I 1
A: The belt is buckled in the wrong place.
A CAUTION:
You can be seriously injured if your belt is
buckled in the wrong place like this.
In a crash,
the belt would
go up over your abdomen. The belt
forces
would be there, not at the pelvic bones. This
could cause serious internal injuries. Always
buckle your belt into the buckle nearest you.
1-18
ProCarManuals.com

Q.' What's wrong with this?
A: The shoulder belt is worn under the arm. It should
be worn over the shoulder at all times.
You can be seriously injured if you wear the
shoulder belt under your arm. In a crash,
your
body would move too far forward, which woul'd
increase the chance
of head and neck injury.
Also, the belt would apply too much force to the
ribs, which aren't
as strong as shoulder bones.
You could also severely injure internal organs
like your liver or spleen.
1-19
ProCarManuals.com

&: What's wrong with this?
A: The belt is twisted across the body.
A CAUTION:
You can be seriously injured by a twisted belt. In
a crash, you wouldn't have the full width of the
belt to spread impact force's.
If a belt is twisted,
make it straight
so it can work properly, or ask
your dealer to fix it.
1-20
ProCarManuals.com

Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy
Safety belts work for everyone, including pregnant
women. Like all occupants, they are more likely to be
seriously injured
if they don’t wear safety belts.
To unlatch the belt, just push the button on the buckle.
The belt should
go back out of the way.
Before
you close the door, be sure the belt is out of the
way. If you slam the door on it, you can damage both the
belt and your vehicle.
A pregnant woman should wear a lap-shoulder belt, and
the lap portion should be worn as low as possible, below
the rounding, throughout the pregnancy.
1-21
ProCarManuals.com

The best way to protect the fetus is to protect the
mother. When
a safety belt is worn properly, it’s more
likely khat the fetus won’t be hurt in a crash. For
pregnant women, as for anyone, the key to making
safety belts effective is wearing them properly.
Right Front Passenger Position
The right front passenger’s safety belt works the sarne
way a,s the driver’s safety belt. See “Driver Position,”
earlies in this section.
When the shoulder belt is pulled out all the way,
it will
lock.
If it does, let it go back all the way and start again.
supplemental Restraint System (SRS)
This part explains the Supplemental Restraint System
(SRS) or air bag system.
Your Pontiac has two air bags -- one air bag for the
driver and another air bag for the right front passenger. Here are the most important things
to know about the
air
bag system:
A CAUTION:
You can be s’everely injured or killed in a crash if
you aren’t wearing your safety belt -- even if you
have
air bags. Wearing your safety belt during a
crash helps reduce your chance of hitting things
inside the vehicle or being ejected from
it. Air
bags are “supplemental restraints” to the safety
belts. All
air bags are designed to work with
safety belts, but don’t replace them. Air bags are
1 designed to work only in moderate to severe
crashes where the front
of your vehicle hits
something. They aren’t designed to inflate at all
in rollover,
rear, side or low-speed frontal
crashes. Everyone in your vehicle should wear
a
safety belt properly -- whether or not there’s an
air bag for that person.
1-22
ProCarManuals.com